Kent State Names Josh Moore as Wrestling Program’s Seventh Head Coach
KENT, Ohio – Kent State Vice President and Director of Athletics Randale L. Richmond announced today the hiring of Josh Moore as the seventh head coach in Golden Flashes wrestling history. Moore, who previously served as head coach at Cleveland State University for seven years, returns to Kent State, where he began his coaching career as an assistant coach from 2004-2015.
“We are very excited to welcome Josh and his family back to Kent State,” said Richmond. “His deep connection to our program and his proven track record of developing championship caliber wrestlers on the mat, in the classroom, and throughout the community makes him the ideal leader for the next era of Golden Flashes wrestling.”
Moore brings 21 years of Division I coaching experience to the position, including impressive achievements at Kent State and Cleveland State. During his tenure as head coach at Cleveland State, he guided the program to national recognition, helping the Vikings achieve one of the top team GPAs in the nation over the past five years while leading the MAC in Individual Academic All-Americans.
His coaching accomplishments include mentoring 10 All-Americans and 69 NCAA Division I qualifiers throughout his career. At Kent State, Moore was instrumental in developing the program’s first-ever NCAA champion, Dustin Kilgore, and helped guide the Golden Flashes to four top-25 team finishes at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. “Coming back to Kent State as the Head Coach is truly a dream come true for my family and me,” said Moore. “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and fired up to bring the energy, passion, and purpose every single day. Ohio wrestling family, Let’s build something special-together!”
Beyond his coaching success, Moore has demonstrated exceptional leadership in academic achievement and community engagement. He helped Cleveland State Wrestling earn a perfect 1000 Academic Progress Rate (APR) in 2023-2024 and has been instrumental in maintaining team GPAs above 3.25 throughout his career. His fundraising efforts have generated significant support for wrestling programs, including leading Cleveland State as the top Giving Day Ambassador and securing over $200,000. … more at … https://kentstatesports.com/news/2025/6/13/kent-state-names-josh-moore-as-wrestling-programs-seventh-head-coach.aspx
NC State Aiming To Continue ACC Wrestling Mastery
NC State has captured the last six ACC wrestling titles and the Wolfpack are looking to keep that run going against a highly competitive field this weekend.
College wrestling’s postseason is finally here.
After four months of chatter about developments leading to March, the time has arrived — and it’s time for the NC State Wolfpack to compete at the ACC Championships.
NC State will go into the event as the reigning six-time champions, raising the team title trophy at the ACC Championships every year dating back to 2019. “As you hit the postseason, it becomes more about the individual accomplishments and their personal goals, which of course bleed into the team aspect,” NC State coach Pat Popolizio said. “You want to see guys finish out and accomplish their goals, and right now as we head towards March there are two opportunities left, starting with ACCs.”
If you go strictly by seeds — which are a result of ACC dual results — this year’s Wolfpack squad will look a lot different from last year’s, which set a school record for team points (116), individual ACC titles (seven), and had the largest margin of victory at the event (29.5 points over second-place Virginia Tech) since 2007.
NC State posted a 5-1 record in ACC duals to finish tied atop the conference standings for the sixth time in the last eight years. Unlike last year, however, the Pack won’t have eight of their 10 wrestlers seeded second or better. “We have seen guys lose in dual meets but then come right back and have a really good showing come ACCs and leading into NCAAs,” Popolizio said. “There is still a lot of wrestling left. Just in the last few days right after coming back from Virginia Tech, we saw some guys respond very well. We have a lot of motivated guys in that room.”
Popolizio and his staff know how to bring back hardware from the one-day ACC event. “We have got to show up, compete, be aggressive, and score points,” Popolizio said. “We have to reverse some results that we let slip away in duals. This year is set up to be a nail-biter among quite a few teams, it is really pretty even across the board. “I think it comes down to who wants it more. There are going to be a lot of tight, close matches, it is going to be exciting. It comes down to who is willing to go out there and take some risks to get their hand raised.”
Since the 2015-16 season, NC State has won seven ACC Championships … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13870760-nc-state-aiming-to-continue-acc-wrestling-mastery
Big Ten Weekly Recap (2/27/2025)
Iowa wins in Carver – The Hawkeyes came out on top Sunday night in the highly anticipated grudge match between Iowa and Oklahoma State. In addition to the traditional rivalry, we had the added excitement of subplots like Brands v Gilman, David Taylor as the new coach, the Cowboys recently supplanting Iowa as the second-ranked team in the country, and a slew of great matchups. We also had the added intrigue of true freshman Angelo Ferrari having the opportunity to battle against NCAA Finalist Dustin Plott. That’s exciting on its own, but pair that with the fact that he’s in a battle in his own room for the starting spot in the lineup, and now it has additional implications. Or certainly could at least. If you’re a Hawkeye fan, you’ve got to be excited about the future of this squad, paired with how good Teemer looked, for potential NCAA implications. On their best days, this Iowa team could have five finalists (133, 149, 157, 165, 197), which is a lot to be excited about and certainly enough for a trophy at the end of March.
Michigan > CMU > MSU – In the battle for the mitten, the University of Michigan reigns supreme in the 2024/2025 season. Last weekend the Wolverines dispatched the Spartans, and this Friday CMU beat MSU in Mount Pleasant to start their weekend. Next up was their trip to Ann Arbor on Sunday evening. The Chippewas began hot and had the lead 11-8 headed into 165, but that’s where their momentum stopped and the Wolverines took over. Beau Mantanona got a first-period pin at 165, followed by his brother Brock bumping up to 174 and upsetting Alex Cramer, who was ranked seventh in the country at the time. That’s a huge win for a true freshman bumping up a weight class, and helped continue the momentum for the Wolverines. 31-11 was the final score in what was a hard-fought and fun dual to see in person.
Ethen Miller is undefeated headed into B1Gs – Maryland finished off their season with a win over Drexel to the score of 23-13. Maryland had a solid season, with a dual win over the Wolverines a couple of weeks back, paired with some strong individual performances. Braxton Brown at 133 only has two losses on the season, and has shown the ability to compete with the best in the country. Additionally, Ethen Miller has ended his regular season at 20-0 and 7-0 in the B1G. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/big-10/big-ten-weekly-recap-2272025-r100055/
NCWA Teams’ Rankings
NCWA Men’s Team Rankings
Now that the 2x Defending National Champions, Bellarmine University, have moved on to full NCAA-D1 status, the battle for the 2025 NCWA Men’s National Championship seems to be a dog-fight between around 5 programs. Liberty graduated some top talent including National Champions but also brought in a stellar recruiting class. Thomas More and Apprentice re-loaded their rosters with several key returners. Menlo College will be in a NCAA-transition year along with Vanguard University. Tarleton State will be in their first year with a NCAA-recruited team. Then there are the upstart programs that have made a recent mark such as Washington State, Utah Tech, and Springfield Tech.
1. Thomas More University (Crestview Hills, KY) – NCAA-D2 Transition
2. The Apprentice School (Newport News, VA) – NCWA-D1
3. Menlo College (Atherton, CA) – NCAA-D2 Transition
4. Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA) – NCWA-D1
5. Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX) – NCWA-D1
6. Washington State University (Pullman, WA) – NCWA-D1
7. Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, CA) – NCAA-D2 Transition
8. Utah Tech University (St. George, UT) – NCWA-D1
9. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) – NCWA-D1
10. Springfield Tech CC (Springfield, MA) – NCWA-D1
11. West Chester University (West Chester, PA) – NCWA-D2
12. University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) – NCWA-D1
13. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) – NCWA-D1
14. University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) – NCWA-D2
15. The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) – NCWA-D2 … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2024/ncwa-mens-team-rankings
And …
NCWA Women’s Team Rankings
The women’s division has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years; however, the division remains top heavy with four teams at the top and then the rest. Look for Ottawa-Arizona to attempt to get back to the top of the podium (1st in 2023, 2nd in 2024) and Washington State, Utah Tech, and UNLV to battle it out for the top spot.
1. Ottawa University – Arizona (Surprise, AZ)
2. Washington State University (Pullman, WA)
3. Utah Tech University (St. George, UT)
4. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
5. Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA)
6. Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX)
7. Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ
8. Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO)
9. The Apprentice School (Newport News, VA)
10. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
11. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
12. Springfield Tech CC (Springfield, MA)
13. Texas A & M University (College Station, TX)
14. Santa Rosa Junior College (Santa Rosa, CA)
15. The University of Texas (Austin, TX) … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2024/ncwa-womens-team-rankings
NWCA All-Star classic match order, Penn State wrestling bout previews, how to watch, and more
The eyes of the college wrestling world will turn toward State College this weekend. The No. 1 Penn State wrestling team opens its 2024-2025 season and NCAA title defense on Sunday when Drexel visits for a 1 p.m. ET dual meet. Of course, that is not the only event Rec Hall is hosting this weekend. One day earlier, the NWCA All-Star Classic, an exhibition event featuring top wrestlers from around the country, will feature 16 bouts, five of which will feature a Nittany Lion.
The NWCA All-Star Classic starts at 7 p.m. ET. Flo Wrestling is streaming it live for its subscribers here. And, some tickets are still available here.
Which Penn State wrestlers are in the NWCA All-Star Classic?
Penn State was set to have six competitors in this event. Now, however, the list is down to five. Heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet dropped out earlier this week due to a family obligation. But, he will be in action Sunday against the Dragons. His teammates competing on Saturday, though, are unlikely to be. The Nittany Lions are represented by Beau Bartlett, Shayne Van Ness, Tyler Kasak, Levi Haines, and Carter Starocci.
“It looks like the majority of them will not be wrestling Sunday,” head coach Cael Sanderson said this week. “I think there’s a couple of them that are considering it, but I think their focus right now is the all-star match. If something changes, obviously they’re on weight, but they’re wrestling some of the best guys in the country, so we want them to focus on that match. We have a lot of really tough and able bodied kids that are ready to jump in there, if the opportunity presents itself.”
NWCA All-Star Classic bout order
Here’s the order of competition, courtesy of the NWCA:
110: 1 Emma Baertlein, Southern Oregon vs #4 Kendra Ryan, North Central … more at … https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/news/nwca-all-star-classic-match-order-penn-state-wrestling-bout-previews-how-to-watch-and-more/
Historic House-NCAA settlement leaving hundreds of Olympic sport athletes in peril
On Nov. 13, college athletes across the country can sign financial aid agreements with their chosen university.
While the NCAA eliminated the National Letter of Intent program, signing day remains in place as a seminal moment for college-bound athletes to make their verbal commitments binding. It is traditionally a celebrated day. For some, that’s not the case this year.
Hundreds of college prospects, many of them participating in Olympic sports, are in a precarious position as the signing date approaches. Schools have eliminated roster spots and, for some, scholarship offers that they were once promised. Meanwhile, several dozen current college athletes are being notified that they are no longer part of their teams — some of the notifications arriving after the fall semester even began.
The actions are a result of a significant and overshadowed roster change affiliated with the NCAA’s historic settlement of an antitrust lawsuit (House). While the NCAA and power conferences agreed to expand upon scholarships as part of the settlement, they also imposed roster limits for sports, many of which did not previously exist.
Such a change will result in thousands of lost roster spots for mostly walk-on athletes and those on partial scholarship — a consequence that, while previously reported by Yahoo Sports, has now sparked outrage … more at … https://sports.yahoo.com/historic-house-ncaa-settlement-leaving-hundreds-of-olympic-sport-athletes-in-peril-125238713.html
Why Penn State Wrestling Coach Cael Sanderson Spoke With the Nittany Lions Football Team
Sanderson, who has led Penn State wrestling to 11 NCAA team titles, brought his message to the No. 3 Nittany Lions football team.
Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson begins his quest for a 12th national championship in November. Penn State football coach James Franklin is looking for his first. So why not solicit advice from the best?
During Penn State’s bye week, Franklin invited Sanderson back to the Lasch Football Building to speak to his unbeaten and third-ranked Nittany Lions football team. Consider it a refresher course in consistent messaging, Franklin said.
“His message is really very consistent with the messages that we give our guys all the time,” Franklin said Monday at his weekly press conference. “It’s just a different voice delivering that, which is powerful. So it’s not the same message that we’re delivering from the same people. It’s a similar message. I think a lot of it is about being present, being appreciative, and then the other one is controlling the things that you can control and not inhaling or reading or listening to outside voices
or words was really the message.”
Franklin, a major wrestling fan, has been a fixture at Penn State wrestling matches for years. He has invited Sanderson to speak with his team before about the power of process and did so again this past summer. With the Nittany Lions off to a 6-0 start and on a bye week, Franklin had Sanderson back to address the players once more. … more at … https://www.si.com/college/pennstate/football/why-the-penn-state-ohio-state-game-isn-t-a-must-win-for-the-nittany-lions-01jbdchjnawd
Penn State, Iowa begin season ranked atop NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll
Manheim, Pennsylvania – For the third straight year, Penn State will start the college wrestling season ranked No. 1 in the country.
The Nittany Lions garnered all 16 first-place votes as the season’s first poll was released by the National Wrestling Coaches Association on Wednesday. Penn State won its third straight national championship and 12th overall last March, setting a new NCAA tournament scoring mark in the process with 172.5 points and outdistancing runner-up Cornell by an unprecedented 100 points.
Coach Cael Sanderson’s team is also riding a dual meet win streak of 55 in a row, which currently sits as the 13th longest all-time in college wrestling history and the sixth-longest in major college history.
Iowa starts the year ranked second after finishing the regular season 12-2 in duals and fifth at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The Hawkeyes are followed by Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Ohio State in the top five.
Oklahoma State went 14-1 last season and for the first time in nearly 30 years, will be led by a new head coach. World and Olympic champion David Taylor assumed the role over the summer as the Cowboys’ head coach and brings a new feeling of excitement to Stillwater. The Cowboys finished a disappointing 10th at last season’s NCAA championships.
Nebraska went 12-2 in duals and finished ninth at the NCAA championships, while the Buckeyes were 15-2 in duals and finished eighth. The Big Ten, as usual, has an abundance of teams ranked in the Top 25, with eight of the conference’s 14 wrestling schools starting the year in the poll, including four in the top five. Michigan (8-4 in 2023-24) gives the Big Ten a fifth team in the Top 10, coming in at No. 10.
While the Big Ten was unaffected on the wrestling side of things by the continuing world of college realignment, other conferences find themselves with changing membership.
Oklahoma State is one of eight Big 12 teams ranked in the Top 25 to start the season, … more at … https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#label/INBOX%2FaaResponseNeeded/FMfcgzQXJswdRXkXhZpHCFlpJWpHlCXs
Penn State Wrestling Announces 2024-25 Schedule
Nittany Lions to host two BJC Duals
Full Schedule HERE!
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, has announced its 2024-25 schedule. Penn State will have seven home duals this season, including two in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions will also host the NWCA All-Star Classic once again in Rec Hall. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.
The season begins with a big opening weekend in Rec Hall. The venerable building will once again be the site of the NWCA All-Star Classic exhibition. The event, which is not an official NCAA event or part of Penn State’s season ticket package, is set for Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event can be purchased at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0200612BD69D5222 . Penn State’s official NCAA schedule then begins the next day with a home dual in Rec Hall when the Nittany Lions host Drexel at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Penn State heads to West Point, N.Y., the next weekend for the Black Knight Invitational at Army West Point. The one day event takes place on Sunday, Nov. 24, and runs all-day. Penn State visits Lehigh on Sunday, Dec. 8, for a 2 p.m. dual with the Mountain Hawks. The next weekend, Penn State welcomes the Wyoming Cowboys to Rec Hall for a 1 p.m. dual meet on Sunday, Dec. 15. Penn State closes out the first semester schedule a week later, travelling to Nashville, Tenn., for the Journeymen Collegiate Duals on Sunday, Dec. 22. Penn State will wrestle three dual meets on that day, taking on Binghamton, Arkansas-Little Rock and Missouri.
The Big Ten season begins on Friday, Jan. 10, … more at … https://gopsusports.com/news/2024/10/8/penn-state-wrestling-announces-2024-25-schedule
Docs: NCAA considering applying football redshirt rule to athletes in all sports
The NCAA is considering more historic changes to its amateurism rules.
Member schools plan to seriously consider granting athletes in all sports, not just football, the ability to participate in up to a certain percentage of games in a fifth season and still use their redshirt; permit athletes to earn prize money before they enroll in college; and eliminate the National Letter of Intent. The potential changes are part of what is expected to be a year-long comprehensive review of NCAA athlete-eligibility rules to reflect and operationalize the House settlement terms, according to documents obtained by Yahoo Sports. The documents will be reviewed this coming week during a video call of the NCAA Division I Council.
Recommendations and approval of the athlete-eligibility rules are expected to occur on a rolling basis and be presented to the DI Council for consideration at regular quarterly meetings through October 2025. However, a new signing model with the elimination of the National Letter of Intent could be approved as soon as October, according to documents distributed to administrators.
While expected given the arrival of athlete revenue sharing next year, the changes under consideration are historic and significant in nature — the latest steps in college sports’ evolution away from the amateurism model that has cost it billions in legal losses.
In one of the more notable potential changes, athletes in all sports could participate in up to a certain amount of contests during a sports season while still using their redshirt. Such a policy is only currently permitted in football and wrestling. In football, for instance, a player can play in up to four regular-season games and still use his redshirt season (the NCAA recently updated this rule to exempt all postseason competition from the four-game policy).
Such a rule has not existed for sports like basketball, baseball and all others aside from wrestling. If the policy is changed, sport-specific NCAA committees will be tasked with determining how many contests a player in each sport can participate in before a year of eligibility is exhausted. In the NCAA documents, an example is offered of 30%, a similar figure used in football.
Other notable changes include what documents describe as a “new signing model” with the elimination of the National Letter of Intent. The “core benefits” of the National Letter of Intent will be incorporated into the institution’s athletics financial aid and scholarship agreements, according to the document. Similar recruiting rules tied to the National Letter of Intent will continue with the signing of school aid agreements. … more at … https://sports.yahoo.com/docs-ncaa-considering-applying-football-redshirt-rule-to-athletes-in-all-sports-154903963.html
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Takedown Report 